Last year: Kevin Harvick had the dominant car, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. won despite leading just 22 laps.

Last week: Carl Edwards won a rain-shortened race in Texas to lock up a spot in the championship next week in Florida.

Fast facts: Harvick, the 2014 champion, needs a win at Phoenix. But he has won six of the last eight races there. ...Edwards and Jimmie Johnson have locked up spots in the title race. Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin head to Phoenix just below the cutline for the final four spots.

Last year: Kyle Busch won from the pole to close out 2015 with a victory.

Last week: Kyle Larson won his fifth career race in the series.

Fast facts: It's the second to last race of the season in the Xfinity series, and the eight-driver list for the championship will be cut to four in Phoenix. ...Daniel Suarez has just a one-point lead over Elliott Sadler and a 10-point cushion over Erik Jones — who has won four times in 2016. Brendan Gaughan, who is eighth, was docked 10 points after a body height violation last week.

Last year: Timothy Peters won for the 10th time in his career at Phoenix's fall event.

Last week: Johnny Sauter continued his championship push with his second straight win.

Fast facts: Sauter is the only driver locked into the Championship 4 race. William Byron, Christopher Bell, Matt Crafton, Peters and Ben Kennedy will vie for the other three spots this weekend. Bell has never raced at Phoenix though...Noah Gragson of Las Vegas will make his series debut for owner Kyle Busch.

Last year: Nico Rosberg led 65 laps to win the second of three straight to close 2016.

Last race: Lewis Hamilton won from the pole for the second race in a row in Mexico City.

Fast facts: Hamilton is 19 points behind Rosberg despite winning both the pole the race in the last two events. ... The Sao Paolo circuit is named after Jose Carlos Pace, a native Brazilian who won his first and only Formula 1 race at his hometown track in 1975. He died in 1977.

Last race: Antron Brown clinched his third world title in Las Vegas two weeks ago.

Fast facts: Brown will be the world champion for the second year in a row regardless of what happens in Pomona. Brownhas made it to the final round 11 times in 2016, with seven wins. ... Steve Torrence is second in points, but just 11 ahead of Doug Kalitta.